The H1N1 vaccine expenses will burden the state budget and the insurance funds will take the seasonal flu vaccine expenses, writes Ethnos newspaper. The optional vaccinations will be done in all hospitals and medical centers after October 15.
It is expected that the ones, who would want to get vaccinated will be many, so the Ministry of Health asked for assistance from all private doctors and dentists. With a letter to the Doctors Union, Panayotis Evstatiou - director of the National Health Center, asked all private doctors, who would want to participate in the vaccination process, to sign up until September 10.
Priority will have all people with chronic diseases, pregnant women and public workers - firefighters, policemen, Civil Protection employees, and people working in the following sectors: water supply, energetic, telecommunications, etc. "The vaccine is double dosed and is free. It will not be sold in pharmacies but it will given in specialized medical centers and in public hospitals," says a letter from the Ministry of Health.
It is expected that the first vaccines will arrive this month, said the minister of health Dimitris Avramopoulos. The total number of infected people until now is 1 839, out of whom 43 have pneumonia and 37 have been completely cured. About ten people infected with the swine flu have complications. Four people are still in the hospital in severe condition and two are out of life danger. Due to the H1N1 virus one 23 year old boy passed away.
Even though most of the infected people with the H1N1 virus are ones, who have chronic illnesses, 40% of the death cases are young people in good health condition, which worries the WHO.